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Disaster Management: Vulnerability Atlas of India
Disaster Management: Vulnerability Atlas of India
Disaster is a catastrophic situation in which normal pattern of life and or ecosystem has been disrupted and extraordinary
emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives and or environment. India is one of the most prone disaster
zones in the world due to its geographical characteristics. Also the social conditions that govern the way in which communities
live also affect the extent to which people are affected by hazards.
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8% - Cyclones
12% - Floods
Natural hazard causes injury or loss of life, damage to property, social or economic disruption and environmental degradation.
For India, the major hazards are Earth quakes, Landslides, Drought, Cyclones, Floods, Forest fires and other Fire accidents.
According to World Bank report, India's direct loss due to disaster is around 2% of its GDP. Also according to the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in 2010, India ranked second after China for natural disasters.
The vulnerability atlas prepared by Building Materials and Technology Promotion Centre (BMTPC) shows that there are many
areas which are prone to multiple hazards. Rapid increase of population and urbanization along prone areas and other
The activities to mitigate effects of disasters and emergency situations, to provide a framework for helping people at risk, to
avoid or recover from the impacts of the disaster is called disaster management. It includes steps to be taken prior to, during
and after disaster and involves preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Disaster preparedness means the steps or
activities and precautions taken collectively before a disaster to reduce the impact and to cope with it effectively. Community
being the first responder (immediately affected and can give help before others, must be made aware and trained to cope with
the disaster.
Manmade disasters are preventable. Natural disasters can only be mitigated. Without that, we may be taken backwards in
development and progress. Economic developments must be in accordance with protection of the environment. Environmental
degradation is an important factor of disaster. Development must be planned in a judicious manner and in tune with sustaining
and protecting the environment. To face disasters, we must be very well aware of its causes and effects to form a disaster
resilient society.
Earth Quakes
Faults are planes that act as source of earth quake. Movement of plates with respect to each other releasing energy causes it.
Magnitude and Intensity of earth quakes are determined by Ritcher scale and modified Mercalli scale. Earth quakes are
unpredictable and unpreventable. 95% of the people die due to falling of buildings. So it is most dangerous when occur at night.
Earth quakes may cause floods, fires, landslides and huge ocean waves called Tsunamis. Poor people living in the prone areas
whose houses are mostly unable to resist the quake are more affected.
Zone 1 – Not affected; Zone 2 – Low risk; Zone 3 – Moderate risk; Zone 4 – High risk; Zone 5 – Very high risk.
Sub-Terranian areas of Himalayas are geologically active and is more prone to earth quakes.
Class 1 -3: Felt by few people; Class 4-6: Pendulum clock stops, felt by everyone, objects fall; Class 7-10: Destruction; Class 11-
12: Devastation.
Preparing to face the hazard is the major step in disaster management. Train ourselves in basic rescue and first aid functions and
also help the survivors quickly, Retrofit the existing buildings, Use appropriate technology in building material and also adhere to
norms in new constructions and train ourselves to respond to the situation are some of the steps to prepare for the earth quake.
Cyclones
Indian sub-continent is one of the six major cyclone prone areas in the world. Cyclones occur due to warm ocean temperature,
high relative humidity and atmospheric instability. During cyclones, strong winds uproot trees, destroy power and
telecommunication, terrestrial rain causes flood, high tidal waves hit the coastal areas.
How to prepare?
1. Knowing the prone areas (usually 50-200 North and South of equator). In India, our east coast is the most prone
area.
3. Forest along coasts acts as wind barriers. But deforestation and encroachment of coastal shelter-belt is a threat. By
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) does forecasting and warning. They track cyclones. It is done by INSAT satellite and
cyclone detection radars. The Disaster Warning System (DWS) helps in dissemination of warning at isolated places in local
languages. In cyclonic seasons, listen to TV/RADIO updates, Identify safe shelters Keep an emergency kit, Check the perimeter
for safety, Store adequate food, Keep a list of emergency numbers, Conduct mock drills.
There is a no wind period in between the cyclone. It is the eye of the cyclone. The winds are on the walls of the eye.
Floods
Preparedness is the key to survive. The major causes are: Blocking of river channel, Excessive rain, Narrowness of river/ change
in its course, Insufficient engineering, Sea tides, Tsunamis etc. Most flood prone areas are banks of Ganga and Brahmaputra.
Eastern coastal deltaic region also cause flood. Economically and socially backward communities are the most affected and they
took long for coming back to normal life. During floods, the availability of drinking water is the major problem faced by people.
Overflow of contaminated water from various sources with the useful water in wells, tanks etc. make them not available for
drinking and cooking purposes. It should also be made sure during floods that enough food, water and medicines are easily
available. People should be immediately transported to shelter places. People doing cattle rearing for livelihood are also worsely
affected. So measures are needed to make sure that these animals are also be moved to safer places.
Drought
Drought causes lack of food, fodder, water and employment. Women are more affected and there will be distressed migrations.
Lack of nutrition, education and proper health, increased school dropouts and child labour may also be seen. Based on the
information given by IMD, we can make planned efforts to conserve resources and to prevent misuse of land and water. Farmers
and tribal groups are mostly affected. Less availability of water for drinking, cooking, agriculture etc. cause decrease in
Rain harvesting
Awareness generation
Setting up of efficient irrigation systems also helps saving water. Conserve natural aquifers.
Use of weapons of mass destruction is a serious threat to the social, economic and political stability. Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984
due to the outbreak of poisonous Methyl Iso cyanate killed many people and so many were living with the harmful side effects.
The after effects of radiations were also harmful. In nuclear, chemical and biological warfare, the destructions take a much
longer time to get restored and in some cases cannot be gone back to normal.
Radioactivity does not penetrate solid structures even though fire causes damage. So it is better to stay indoors. In chemical
exposure, don't be panic; remain indoors. Close all doors and windows. Put wet cloth on face and breathe through it. Lying down
may help as these gases are light and tends to rise upwards. Accidental disasters cause much loss.
Disaster Management
Government of India had brought a shift from its relief centric approach to the one with greater emphasis is on preparedness,
prevention and mitigation. Without disaster management, sustainable development is not possible. And also disaster
management became part of the policy framework as poor and under privileged are more affected.
Disaster management is a multi disciplinary area which includes forecasting, warning, search and rescue, relief, reconstruction
and rehabilitation. It is also a multi sectoral task as it involves administrators, scientists, planners, volunteers and communities.
CRITICAL NEED IS THE CO-ORDINATION OF ALL THE ACTIVITIES BETWEEN THEM. For developing countries, disaster management is
a major concern as it directly influences the economy, agriculture, food and sanitation, water, environment and health.
Disasters also have social, economic and psychological dimensions. So appropriate strategies are necessarily been developed.
droughts are prevalent. These disaster areas are the home for most hungry in the world. The changing climatic pattern worsens
the situation. So we have to recognize the hazards and vulnerabilities in a comprehensive manner and should take effective steps
The Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) of 2015 by UNISDR to which India is a signatory advocates mainstreaming disaster risk
reduction into socio-economic development planning and activities by adopting five priorities for action through a five-fold
process.
A. Political process: It includes countries to develop policies, legislative and institutional frameworks and also
B. Technical process: It includes science and technology for assessing, monitoring, identifying disasters and develops
C. Socio-educational process: It includes awareness and skill development; also safety and resilience in all levels.
D. Development process: It includes integration of disaster risk in all sectors of development planning and programs.
E. Humanitarian process: It includes factoring disaster risk reduction in disaster response and recovery.
India started to work on these ideas in 1999 by constituting a High Powered Committee (HPC) on Disaster Management under
Shri. J.C.Pant (Former Secretary of Agriculture to the Govt. of India), along with experts. After December 26, 2004 Tsunami
incident, India decided to enact a law on Disaster Management (DM) to provide a requisite institutional mechanism for drawing
The Disaster Management Act, 2015 lays down institutional, legal, financial and co-ordination mechanisms at central, state,
district and local levels. This setup ensures the paradigm shift from the relief centric approach to the one which greater
emphasis is on preparedness, prevention and mitigation. By enacting the law, National Disaster Management Authority was
established under the chairmanship of PM. State and District DM authorities are also established. So now the country has a legal
backing of DM architecture with clear delineation of rules and responsibility. There is also provision for budget allocation for the
The poor are more affected. Unless the disaster risk reduction is not met properly, our efforts to achieve 'inclusive growth' may
Govt. of India administers a number of programs in key sectors like agriculture, rural development, urban development, food
security, water, rural roads, health and education, to improve the quality of life of its people. But they lack the intervention of
1. The Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) provides adequate flexibility to include DRR to take care of extreme
weather conditions.
2. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadhak Yojana (PMGSY) provides rural connectivity to habitations.
4. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) provides infrastructure to selected great cities. But
5. Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) aims to provide safe drinking water to all. In case of
disaster, food and water needs the immediate attention. The mission provides emergency tube wells during disaster
6. National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) provides the required medical attention.
It is also necessary to create a national platform for sharing, using and disseminating the data. Eg. Data on heavy rainfall, data
on river flow, satellite imagery etc. Qualified professionals are required in the areas of Disaster Risk Reduction. DRR must be
added as a part of curriculum for students. Population is increasing. So much attention is needed to give for planning and
implementation of the projects. Co-ordination of the various departments and organizations like IMD, Survey of India (SOI),
Geological Survey of India (GSOI), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Central Water Commission (CWC), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS) etc.
With proper planning, preparedness and mitigation Co-ordination of the various departments and organizations are necessary for
our people in the near future. Campaigns must also be undertaken for the same purpose.
According to the Global Assessment Report of the UNISDR, India is a highly vulnerable region due to its population and
geographical features. These disasters may wipe out the hard earned gains (development) of those areas. The main challenges
1. Fragile Institutions: The National Policy on Disaster Management, prepared by the National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA), approved in 2009 was formulated with a vision to build a safe and disaster resilient India.
Central, state and district level authorities are established. Also Disaster Response Fund and Disaster Mitigation
Fund were set up. But all these are not active and well operated. Good governance and effective administration are
the dynamic processes of effective interface with communities at risk. The process must have transparency and
accountability. We must explore ways to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery of services, minimizing
inordinate delays, red tape, pressure for excluding real victims and accommodating false claimants. The instrument
of good governance like Right to information and legal options like Public interest litigation can be used to ensure
2. Weak compliance of policies: The follow up actions expected from nodal agencies in preparing plans and
corrective actions to address the critical gaps in the existing policies are not initiated. Community based
organizations and NGO's can play an important role in creating a level playing field for victims affected by disasters.
3. Systemic inefficiencies influencing process: The random audits of proposals on affected areas and fixing the
4. Need to adopt innovative systems, techniques and technologies: Some of them are Geographical Information
System (GPS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Pocket Radio Service (GPRS), Remote Sensing, and Voice
over Internet Protocol (VOIP), Radio over Internet Protocol (ROIP), Scenario Analysis & Modeling, Digital Elevation
Models and Bathymetry for tsunami, Early warning systems, Doppler radar etc. Information in the local dialects will
Hazards are natural but disasters are unnatural. It depends on the resilience of the society towards it. Geo-climatic and socio-
economic vulnerabilities and bad development practices makes India prone to disasters. These disasters have a huge impact on
our economy. We amounted around $30 billion for the past 35 years. The trend is increasing year after year.
Soon after a disaster, we make a situational report so that relief and response could be made effective. After that, a detailed
assessment report is made based on direct losses with replacement value on current price basis. Direct and Indirect assessments
are to be made. Currently, loss of infrastructure is calculated but the effect of revenue loss on economy remains unassessed. It
affects the economy. This does not give any alternative to the decision makers for prioritizing long term recovery investment.
A damage and loss assessment report must be advantageously used to determine the post disaster needs including economic
recovery planning and reconstruction program design. The major losses are decline in output, lower revenues, and high
operational cost of services. Even after so many disasters we don't have an assessment done which can give an understanding of
the disaster and its impact on development. The new dimension of disaster loss in an economy is that the loss in economy affects
other due to the globalization trend. Companies may suffer from supply chain shags. There will be need to analyze the financial
requirement needed for recovery to move along the growth path. Major needs include restoration of infrastructure, income and
other services.
Financing the post disaster for immediate and long term recovery is a main problem. Usually central govt. provides the necessary
financial aid to states. But these expenses largely affect the budget expectations. So now we have a National Disaster Relief
Fund (NDRF), for the immediate temporary recovery. But there is no provision for the long term recovery (no dedicated fund).
Our aim must be in preventing the impact of a disaster and not on the ways to increase the funds. Vulnerability of the state must
Direct damages induce indirect losses. If long term recovery is unaddressed, the ultimate result will be the huge pressure on
economy and development process. So we need to introduce a long term recovery fund, both at national and state levels.
2. Risk zonation
Conclusion
Disaster is a development issues. It needs to be addressed with much importance. It has a sudden and long term impact on
economy. So policy shift is needed to ensure the stability of economy. There must be plans for long term recovery. Assessing the
available financial tools and innovating new funding mechanisms are required. Funds must be designed and planned on risk
assessment and risk exposure assessment. Risk reduction and sustainable development must be seen in an integrated format.
The 73rd and 74th amendments paved the way for constitutional status for the urban local bodies and Panchayat institutions to
play a greater role in matters of immediate concern. They can give awareness and ensure participation of the common people in